55*6BT My 55 w/ Cummins power

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by II_Slow

I went ahead and added fishplates over the Z-cut in the frame. I don't think is was really necessary,...

i was going to suggest you do it

i blasted, blew off what i could, wax & grease remover wipe down and sprayed epoxy
now that you have flash rust you will need to treat it before epoxy
and yes, i removed half the primer on my truck doing body work
i was in a paint shop so i could spot prime when the painter had primer in the gun

[Kim57]

Frame looks real nice.
Kim

[Maximus]

awesome project, Sorry to hear about your son wrecking your truck but glad noone was hurt. Cool that a bare cab and bed sitting in the weeds is going to be on the road again soon. Awesome powerplant as well, I have a 96' cummins powered dually and love it. 10,000lb towing capacity and 19mpg

[II_Slow]

I bought some pretty neat "buckets" to integrate 1950 Pontiac tail lights into the rear fenders, including blue dot lens.



I'll get these to the guy prepping my fenders - I need to check his progress anyway.

[Kim57]

I'm using those on my truck also although I don't have the blue dot lenses.
Put them in the bed I made.
Kim

[_Ogre]

that is a pretty casual mention of ''the bed i made''
kim57's full custom bed pic attached

[Kim57]

Well I do still need to do the finish work on it.
Kim

[II_Slow]

Damn I'm sick of rust!!! Finding more pin holes and thin metal in the floor at the back of the cab. I knew the cab corners and rocker panels were shot, and some of the floor at the front of the cab, and the brow, and the area beneath the lower hinges, but I thought that was about it - until it got back from the blaster. Really slowing my roll. I should have started with a better cab. Lesson learned I guess. I do have small window cab that I am cutting patch panels off of - probelm is they all tend to rust in the same spots!

[II_Slow]

Haven't done much with it lately. Ended up using the money I had set aside for the steering column and radiator/fan kit for household expenses. Also been very busy with the daughter's Fall season of softball. Got back into the shop last night and spent some time on the engine. I ruined the first crank seal (damaged the lip seal) so took extra care yesterday to get the seal installed correctly. This engine has not ran in about 3 years so I hosed down the gear train with some engine assembly lube. The oil pan was pretty banged up in the sump area so I removed it to knock the dents back out. 36 bolts securing the pan on this thing. It ain't gonna fall off. Still need to adjust the vale lash and it should be ready to fire. Also need to replumb the transmission cooling lines.


Checked in on the guy reworking the fenders and dash. They are all looking great and about ready to pick-up.

[II_Slow]

Straightened the pan sump and replaced oil pan gasket. Engine is now sealed back 100% except the valve cover gaskets. I have the starter solenoid and fuel shut-off solenoid wired to a switch panel and have it where I can now start the engine soon. I missed something on my crossmember measurements and had the tail of the transmission off center and when I corrected that I had to re-do the engine mounts. The engine is now finally "permanently" mounted - hoping it doesn't have to come out again. I probably had it in and out 5 or 6 times in the past two weeks correcting the alignment, notching the frame to clear the tensioner, then repainting afterwards. I need to adjust the valve spacing and reassemble with new valve cover gaskets (already in hand). At that point, the only thing keeping me from running the engine is looping the transmission cooling and power steering lines.

I also have the front suspension ready to go with new bushings and ball joints, all freshly painted as well.


Looks like my exhaust I had all tacked up will not clear the transmission cooler - another do-over required there.

I have been cleaning up the rear differential and leaf springs - almost ready for paint.

[6BT 56]

Looking good . Good thing you didnt do one of those hack jobs where you just put the eng in box the frame and call it done . What fun could one of those crappy things be .

[ChuckDriver]

Cool project!

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[II_Slow]

I adjusted the valve lash tonight and installed new valve cover gaskets. Installed 12 quarts of Rotella and new oil filter. installed all of the cooling lines that I could, but the new cooling manifold that mounts the a/c compressor and alternator have the 5/8-inch cooling lines coming out in a new location so a couple don't fit any more. Also installed the transmission heat exchanger after modifying the brackets. I intend to replumb the transmission lines with braided-steel lines with -8an lines and do away with the cheesey factory press-lock hard lines. For now I have the transmission lines looped back. I just need a couple of lugs to terminate the battery cables, a return line for the power steering pump, a new fuel filter, and some diesel and I'll be firing this thing up this week. Can't run it long because I don't have a radiator on it but I can hear it run so that ought to give me some motivation. Hopefully firing up tomorrow - if not Friday for sure. Yee Haw!!!

[brimc]

Awesome build. I laughed when I read the part were you had pulled the engine 5 or 6 times etc. I remember doing this with mine and it felt like 20 times but much faster now Hope you get it fired up real soon. Nothing feels better than hearing it run after all your hard work for such a long time.

[II_Slow]

A little bummed out - would not fire today. It hasn't ran in 4 years. I took the supply line off at the pump and the fuel that oozed out was more like oil than diesel. I guess I need to drain the p-pump and try to get it filled with fresh fuel. That or the lift pump (mechanical) is not pulling out of the jug. Didn't mess with it too long - Cowboy game tonight. Damn diesel is nasty, I got it all over me and everything else - and it doesn't go away. Be back on it tomorrow.

[II_Slow]

Still no luck getting it fired. It pumps fuel to the injector pump but I'm not getting anything to the injectors with a few of the nuts loose. I hope the injector pump is OK. Looking for some local expertise. Continuing with some suspension work and fabricating some battery boxes.

[brimc]

Not sure what all you have tried but this is what I would try first.
Remove the fuel shutdown sol. Lift the lever up as high as it will go. Make sure all the injector lines and return lines are cracked loose. Make sure you have good battery and good connections to the starter. Faster/stronger cranking is better. Start with hand pump prime on the lift pump and fill the filter with fuel until the air stops bubbling out the top, then tighten the bleeders on the top of it. Crank the starter until fuel starts spitting out the injector lines or engine begins to "cough". Tighten the rest of the return and half of the injectors. Crank it till it fires, tighten all lines and check for leaks. This is how I did mine just a few weeks ago. The engine sat about 32 months and I had the injection pump off and everything was completely dry of fuel. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[II_Slow]

I found a good 30-minute youtube video overview of the P7100 pump. I think I understand it well enough to troubleshoot some more. It's either a) bypassing all of the fuel (fuel shut-off mechanism) or b) it's not passing any fuel to the barrel/discharge valve (rack not moving). Looks like I have my plan for the weekend.....

[II_Slow]

Well after removing an inspection plug at the end of the rack I have confirmed that the rack is not moving. I removed the AFC cover and tried to free it with a small prybar - no luck. You can move the fuel shut off rod, and the throttle linkage and see no other motion. Guess I'll be getting some expert assistance - sure hope the injection pump can be saved. They are not cheap ($1000 or so), and very seldom ever separated from a working engine so usually aren't typically available a salvage parts.

[II_Slow]

Still have not get the truck over to Texas Performance Diesel in Emory to see if they can do anything with the rack. I have it loaded on the trailer, just looking for an opportunity to take off work one day since they are only open M-F.
I also got the rear end centered and clamped into place with the u-bolts and spring perches. I'll wait until I get completely happy with the ride height before setting the pinion angle, welding on the perches, and cutting down the driveshaft. I dropped the axles off at ET Automotive yesterday to have them narrowed - should be ready in a week or so. I also found a good deal on some NIB window kits on Craigslist. New LMC vent window kits, side window kits, all new window channels, fuzzies, wipers, regulators, new door panels, and some custom fiberglass kick panels for speakers - all for about $600.
He also has a custom fiberglass console and fitted speaker boxes I want to look into. I just need to bring the truck over there and see if will fit with all of the floor and firewall mods I'm doing. I was also tapped out. Didn't know he had that stuff so I din't bring any more money.

All I wanted to get done this winter was the metal work on the cab - haven't touched it. I thought I had a deal worked with a paint & body guy to have him do it in exchange for some racecare parts I had but that deal fell through.
Anyhow, it's still progressing. My stash of new parts is still growing - it's been nice to work at a slow pace and only pick up parts whent they are on sale or when I find smoking good deals at swapmeets or on Craigslist. I need to hit the swap meets and find some better doors than what I have now.

Still hoping Chip Foose and the A-team do a smash and grab and finish it up in a week for me.......

[brimc]

Sorry to hear you haven't got it fired yet.
You should post something over in the diesel conversion section. There is lots of very knowledgeable cummins conversion specialists over there that might be able to steer you in the right direction on your IP before spending a lot of coin. Maybe even consider moving this thread over there too?

[II_Slow]

Dropped the truck off at a diesel repair shop here in Dallas. Sure hope they come through for me and free up the rack. I believe he is just planning on pulling the delivery valves and looking for one binding. They should all rotate freely but commonly bind up and basically glue themselves in place if allowed to sit without the usual diesel bath they are normally live in. The whole crew at the shop were all checking out the project and were really digging it so hopefully they'll put some real effort in to getting me moving again.

[brimc]

Should be an easy task for them. Are you going to let them "tune" it for you too?

[II_Slow]

He said to get it running and driving then he definitely wants to turn it up some for me. I'm still a little concerned with the transmission but he says if you don't overload it (try to pull too much) then the transmission will hold up to 300 or so HP, even a little more with a different valve body to get the line pressure up. It was not running as strong when it was wrecked as it was a few years earlier, he said that is usually the governor spring causing it to start defueling prematurely. I mostly just want to retain the reliability and hopefully increase the efficiency at cruising speed. I won't compromise on those for increased power. I've got a Mustang that will run low 8's the quarter so dropping this thing from a 16 second quarter mile to a 13 second quarter mile really doesn't interest me. I'll update next week with hopefully good news on the injection pump.
Pretty odd how different people respond so differently to the same project. "Normal" people look at it and it's still just a rusty old truck, fellow gearheads see and drool all over it.